Ride the Cream City Rickshaw

There's a story my family tells over and over again that brings us all to giggly tears no matter how many times we tell it: After imbibing in a serving of vino and beginning on another, my pint-sized mother--lover and keeper of all fun facts--leaned her elbow on the dining table, wine glass in hand, and asked in a mildly tipsy voice, "Did you know that rickshaw operators are a dying breed in China?" Since this question/statement had absolutely no relationship whatsoever to our conversation and it was an uncommon occurrence for her to be in that state, we all gazed at her in stunned silence, then broke into raucous and delighted laughter. Hehe! It gives me happy joy even now.

That was in the early 1980s, some 100 years after the use of runner-pulled rickshaws became popular. Today, the mostly cycle-driven cab operators of China are still hard at work, though in smaller numbers now than at any time in the nation's history--Mom was right!

For its part, the United States has an extremely young rickshaw heritage, so those who choose to accept the challenge of providing this unique human-powered mode of transportation make up a special group of fearless, slightly loony go-getters. As evidence, I give you Cream City Rickshaw (CCR), Milwaukee's full-service pedicab business.

Launched during the annual Bastille Days festival, CCR offers bicycle taxi rides to any and all who need to get from here to there and want to do it an environmentally friendly way. Also, there's simply nothin' like touring Miltown in the open air.

CCR operates Tuesday-Sunday from 12PM-3AM and payment is based on a "Trips for Tips" philosophy, meaning there's no set fee and drivers rely on each passenger's good sense of fair compensation. Customers can hail a rickshaw on the street--ever tried to get a petrol cab in this town without calling dispatch? It's like trying to get a wild turkey to come when ya call--or dial 414-272-RIDE for a pickup anywhere within the Milwaukee Metro area, including Downtown, Third Ward, Bay View, Riverwest, and the East Side.

The company owns all its pedicabs, leasing them to drivers. According to CCR's operations coordinator Caressa Givens, they're always on the lookout for hearty, healthy folks to join the ranks and, in a recent email, she noted that they're currently seeking to expand their rolls of a specific type of driver:

"We have a diverse bunch of cyclists operating our pedicabs but we are still looking for a nice dose of estrogen in the bunch as I am the only female at CCR, and I know there are some tough ladies in the MKE."

Hear that, gals? You are in high demand! If you're interested in showing just how rough-n-ready ya really are, send an email to ride at creamcityrickshaw dot com.

Cream City Rickshaw will be celebrating its existence with an Open House tomorrow, Friday October 9, at their digs, 1020 E. Land Place in Milwaukee, from 5-10:30PM. Food, drink and music are all scheduled for your enjoyment and pedicab service will be available. Check out the Twitter invite.

Come to the party tomorrow night and hail or call 414-272-RIDE for a ride soon to show your support for this locally owned, good-for-everybody transportation alternative!

Link (Thanks, Caressa!)

Comments

[Caressa Givens]

Thank you so much Cricket Toes for the post! We look forward to opening our doors tomorrow. A big thanks to the city of Milwaukee for supporting us along the way!
-Caressa

[nutrition sportive]

Hello
This is really good post and its really interesting to read about that cream city rickshaw.Thank you very much for sharing this with us.Keep up the good work.